Regarding the above, is it sufficient, according to the regs, to simply tape a piece of paper with the text "U/S" (or something to that effect) over an INOP instrument? Or do you really have to physically remove the instrument from the aircraft, or at the very least disconnect it from power/vacuum/pitot/static sources? (The latter requiring a trip behind the panel of course.)
I have, on a number of occasions, taken off with an U/S instrument that was not required for that type of flight (day VFR), and simply taped a piece of paper over said instrument - more to prevent confusion than anything else. Was I legal? (In an JAR member state, but I would be interested in the FAA position as well.)
And as an aside, if you disconnect a pitot/static instrument from the pitot/static tubes, do these connectors auto-seal or do you have to put some kind of plug in them, to prevent false readings on other pitot/static instruments?